Wimbledon Park Tennis Extension takes center stage in one of London’s tightest swing venues

Voters challenged the candidates vying for the Wimbledon parliamentary seat to a heated debate. Candidates from eight of the nine parties answered voters’ questions about everything from the controversial Wimbledon Park extension to Brexit.

An orderly queue of residents gathered outside Wimbledon Library on the hottest night of the year (so far) for a chance to see how their parliamentary candidates would fare. According to David Hall of the Wimbledon Community Association (WCA), interest in the event was most likely fueled by news of MP Stephen Hammond’s resignation ahead of the July 4 election.

Mr Hammond has been a Conservative MP for Wimbledon since 2005, when he won the seat from New Labour’s Roger Casale. However, his subsequent departure left many feeling the door had been left open for a potential switch to Labor or the Lib Dems.

Read more: MyLondon’s big general election poll – have your say on London transport, the NHS and the cost of living

A total of nine candidates are currently hoping to become Wimbledon’s next MP, eight of whom attended the meeting co-hosted by the WCA and Sustainable Merton. Workers’ Party candidate Aaron Mafi was absent due to a family bereavement, but a friend was allowed to make a brief statement on his behalf before proceedings began.

The candidates present were Sarah Barber and Amy Lynch from the Independent, Eleanor Stringer from Labour, Paul Kohler from the Lib Dems, Danielle Dunfield-Prayero for the Tories, Rachel Brooks from the Greens, Ben Cronin from Reform UK and Michael Watson from at the Heritage Party.

Diana Sterck of Sustainable Merton, who moderated the taping, started the meeting with perhaps the hottest issue in the neighborhood. This was made all the more apparent by the presence of several Save Wimbledon Park public figures in the crowd, all wearing the familiar white T-shirts.

Before asking the candidates what action they would take to protect Wimbledon Park and green spaces, Sterck admitted the question was “very current, topical and local”. She added: “It also had the most questions submitted.”

Seven of the eight candidates have announced their opposition to the controversial plans, which could see the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) expand into neighboring Wimbledon Park with a new stadium, courts and facilities.

However, all eyes have been on Stringer’s response, given that she is a member of the same Council that last year voted in favor of the plans. Councilor Merton Stringer pushed back against the other candidates and thought the proposal was “very complicated”.

She said: “The former golf course that the AELTC has this proposal on is a very complicated proposal and residents deserve to know that it is being treated with care and detailed understanding. I was really shocked by some of the misunderstandings I heard at the door that people took back from the campaign.”

“The other day I heard someone outraged that the athletics stadium and the park were going to be built, but that’s just not true. What is true is that there are conventions covering that golf course as they are in place and I want them to be respected.”

“The AELTC has made it clear that they will not start discussions on these agreements until the planning application is concluded. I will fight for a cast-iron commitment from the owners of that land that if they develop it, they will benefit for generations to come, and that they will work with the community and with us to ensure that we get the new additional park. “

However, Kohler pushed back saying, “When they bought the property in 1993, they made a solemn commitment, as did the Labor Board, that it would never be built on, and the covenants they entered into they were tight”.

“The Labor council keep saying they will honor the agreements, but that makes no legal sense. We need to enforce the agreements and stop the AELTC from building on the land.”

Streck asked for a show of hands from the crowd on support for the expansion after the answers were given. LDRS counted only 8 in support, while the rest of the crowd were against or undecided on the issue.

Most candidates recognized the importance of green spaces and condemned the development of metropolitan open land, which has the same protection as green belt land. Former British triathlete Dunfield-Prayero acknowledged their importance to sport and activity, while single mum Lynch spoke of how essential they were for those without the luxury of a garden.

Wimbledon’s leafy surroundings and large green spaces made the environment and sustainability the focus for most of the evening. Candidates were asked for their views on active travel in the neighbourhood.

Most supported expanding bike lanes throughout the neighborhood, with Stringer admitting that he never learned to drive because of the neighborhood’s bike lanes and excellent public transportation. Others, including the Green Party’s Brooks and Stringer, supported the continued use of low-traffic neighborhoods and school streets, but acknowledged they must be introduced with the consent of those who live there.

On the other hand, Reform UK’s Cronin suggested measures such as these push parking into someone else’s problem. He also called the ULEZ expansion a “cash grab” for the government.

The Heritage Party’s Watson got his first laugh from many in the crowd when he later compared road speed limit enforcement to “mind control” following a question about the controversial 20mph speed limit on residential roads. He later called David Attenborough and Chris Packham “crazy” for suggesting we eat more sustainably and even asked the crowd to “eat more meat”.

On the NHS, Dunfield-Prayero acknowledged the outstanding challenges of obesity and old age, which are putting the health service under pressure. She went on to praise the Conservatives’ long-term work plan and record staff recruitment

Kohler hit back, criticizing the past 14 years of Tory governments, saying: “Danielle, you’re talking like you’ve never been in charge.” Brooks, meanwhile, spoke of the growing threat mental health poses to the NHS.

Another hot topic was Labour’s controversial private school policy, in which they pledged to end the VAT exemption and the business rate cut. Dunfield-Prayero admitted the policy would disproportionately affect Wimbledon, as 20 per cent of its children are privately educated, compared to the national average of 7 per cent.

Unsurprisingly, Stringer supported the policy, but received grunts of displeasure from the crowd when he gave his answer. She said: “We have to remember that independent schools are increasing their fees, while state schools are facing more budget cuts.

“Schools don’t have to pass it on, they can find ways to absorb it in the same way that public school principals have found ways to budget.”

The biggest cheer of the night followed Kohler’s admission that “Brexit was a disaster”. If elected, he pledged to work to help the country, “one day, not tomorrow, rejoin the EU”.

Throughout the night, candidate Barber tied all of her answers to questions to her anti-abortion stance. Her habit of doing so even had some members of the crowd shouting bingo every time she mentioned the subject.

Topics discussed also included defense, the cost of living and areas outside of local politics that the candidates would focus on if elected on the Fourth of July.

Excellent noise moderation and sweaty conditions inside the library’s art space meant the event ended on time and without major issues. Despite the civility and laughter directed mainly at the more fringe candidates, it’s clear that this seat could still be one to watch as one of the tightest swing seats in London.

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